Clothes-line reel.



Y J. o. DoUsT. CLOTHES LINE REEL. APPLICATION FILED AUG.'29, 1910.

WPTNESS'ES.- IN VENTOR.`

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' g BY ZM A TTORNE Y.

Patenmd Oct. 3, 1911.

JAMES C. DOUST, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA.

CLOTHES-LINE REEL.

Speciiiction of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Application 'led August 29, 19.10. Serial No. 579,368.

clot-hes line so t-hat it is sheltered from the,

Weather when not in use and yet may be instantly drawn out to' any desired length and automatically re-wound when no longer required. I

My device comprises a casing containing a suitably journaled reel for the clothes line and spring actuated means for rotating the drum to Wind up the line.

Special features ofthe construction are the arrangement by which the complete unwinding of the rope is prevented, the means for preventing injury to the spring if the line breaks, and the means for preventing the backward rotation of the drum otherwise than by the spring. 4

Figure l is a side elevation, .partly in section, of a clothes line reel constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view taken from the other side. Fig. 3 is a front elevation with the front of the casing removed. Fig. 4 is a detail of the crank arm connections.

' In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the diii'erent figures.

A is a casing suitably shaped to support the parts and provided with a back B which may be secured to a wall or fence. The top of the casing is formed by a hinged lid E, through which the interior of the casing may be got at. In the casing is journaled a spindle F, carrying a drum G for the clothes line Il. 0n the spindle is secured a gear pinion H meshing with a gear wheel C actuated by thc clock spring K which thus tends to rot-atc the drum G to Wind up the line.

The clothes line L is secured at a by a suitablestapleor nail. It the clothes line should be drawn fully out, the pull on the staple would be directly in line with its length and it would quickly pull out. To overcome this difiiculty and to convert the end strain o n the staple to a side strain I pivot on the drum a dog M. This is bail-shaped as shown and its ends b are pivoted on the drum as shown in Figs. l and The clothes line when wound u on the drum holds this dog down close to t e drum. When theline is drawn out and its last coil vunwrapperh the dog under the influence of gravity and centrifugal force Will iiy out in position to'engage the stop c secured to the casing and the unwinding of the clothes line promptly ceases, leaving part oi" the end of the line wrapped around the drum so that the pull on the staple is directed' sidewise. The line leads from the drum through a fair lead d in the front of the casing.

In order that the clothes line may be held with any desired length unwound, I provide the spindle F outside the casing with a ratchet wheel O which is engaged by the pivotedv dog P. When the clothes line is to be drawn out, the dog will be thrown back clear and the ratchet wheel and the drum are then freely rotatable. When the line is to be used it is `drawn out and its end connected with a suitable stationary part. The drum may then be rotated by means of the crank arm connected toy the ratchet Wheel to tighten up the line as may be necessary, the drum f being held as rotated by the dog P engaging the ratchet wheel O. lhe connection between the ratchetA wheel and the crank is preferably by means of a sliding pawl and a ratchet. vThe pawl c slides .in the hub of the ratchet wheel O and is adapted to engage the ratchet f formed in the hub of the crank handle Q. The pawl e will of course duly drive the ratchet wheel O in one direction and all trouble due to careless or mischievous persons rotating the drum G/in the wrong direction is avoided.

In the event of the line breaking, the spring will of course begin t/oliotate the drum and the latter will often acquire buch momentum that the spring/hill be turned inside ont. I guard again/1- ilhis possibility ,by pivoting a brake lon the casing, one arm g of which is bent to lie in tin.` path ot the expanding spring` while the other It is bent to engage the rim of t/he drum (t, `thus any abnormal expansion/ot the spring puts a brake on the drum and stops` it before any injury is done to the spring.

The advantages pf the device ure/obvious. A line when not :1n use. is held rylmpletely protected from thai weather and as it is so easily drawn ontf for use and /fre-wound,

any inducement togleave a clothesline out in V,the weather, is removed. The device can be i pinion; u clock spring adapted to rotate the -made chea 1y enough to bring it within the gear wheel; a pivoted brake. shapedto en- -Ieach of a 1. gage the drum; and an arm on the .brake 15 PJ-It' will be nted that the r11-uni ts so adapted to be engaged by the expanding Jhlcloseiy to the top, front andback of the sp1-ing when the latter exceeds its normal casing-that it is impossible for the line to expansion.

come off the drum. Toronto this 24th day of August, 1910. v

What I claim as my invention is 1 In a clothes line reel the combination of a JAMEb C' DOUST 0 easing a drumlfor the clothes line jonrnnicd 1 Signed in the presence .of`

thereln; a gear pinion connected with the J. EDW. MAYnnn, drum; a gear Wheel meshing with said E. P. HALL. 

